FAQs

 

I use the calendar on my phone.  Isn’t this redundant?

Digital calendars are great for a lot of things but when appointments, practices and recitals are hidden away on our phones, we don't always talk through logistics with other family members and this often causes scheduling conflicts. The Essential Calendar is designed to hold space for the family activities that need correlation and communication. With a clear view of upcoming activities, moms can check for scheduling conflicts at-a-glance. Many of our customers love using accessories to color-code activities, making it easy for individual family members to identify their commitments.

Here's what our customer Brittany has to say about it: "I love being able to see more than one month in a glance. It is also very helpful for others in my house because not everything is written and hidden away on my planner. Every one can see it and know what is going on! Love this calendar."

Where do you put it?

Place it in a highly visible place where all family members can see it and easily update it. Try it in your mudroom, kitchen, or office or anywhere that's easily accessible to your family. Check out our Instagram feed @theessentialcalendar for more ideas. 

Tiffany says: "I did a better job this year finding a place in our home that allows it to help me as much as I knew it could. It works better to have it in an area where my family hangs out together. Everyone in our family looks at it daily and enjoys talking about the activities we have coming up."

How do you use it?

Most households add holidays, birthdays, extracurricular activities, and events at the beginning of the season and then re-visit it weekly or monthly to update it as needed. Each order comes with a how-to guide to get you started. 

Here's what Emily has to say: "I can’t say enough how much I love this calendar! I have a perfect spot to hang the entire year in my kitchen. I love seeing all the extended family birthdays all at once without flipping through months. I actually remembered to call everyone ON THEIR BIRTHDAY this year! I’ve loved being able to plan months in advance at a glance too. I’ll never use another calendar again!"

Your calendar looks different from any calendar I’ve ever used, what is it exactly?

We're so glad you asked! Our calendars are uniquely designed. Instead of a 4 or 5 weekly layout, you will see a quarterly set-up with a 12-week timeline, still with Sun-Sat format. If you look closely, you can see each new month noted in the upper righthand corner on the first day of the month. While it takes a bit of getting used to, the families who try our calendar love it as it helps them coordinate their plans over a stretch of time seamlessly. This is especially helpful during the holidays and summer when activities can start to pile up.

Won’t I be overwhelmed looking at 3 months at a time?

Once you get the hang of it, life will be a lot easier to navigate and plan. Instead of getting overwhelmed by activities and events being jammed together, planning quarterly lets you manage life steadily because you can see activities in context and have more flexibility. The Essential Calendar allows you to see a bigger perspective that will help you prepare in advance, avoid over-scheduling, and add in downtime and vacations.

Is this a good calendar for families with little kids?

Yes, our calendar is kid-friendly! Moms who use our calendar tend to color-code kids activities so even the littlest family members can "read" and look forward to upcoming events. In fact, Crystal created the calendar when her oldest was just finishing kindergarten. He loved structure and the calendar helped him know what to expect during the long summer days.

My kids say we never do anything fun. How can the calendar help with that?

We hear you. With all the things kids have going on, it can be challenging to find time to fit in fun family activities. The Essential Calendar is the perfect tool to plan fun activities with the kids. Often families find that the 12-week format of our calendars helps them plan in advance because they can literally see when they have open space. With The Essential Calendar, you can start planning that Disney trip ahead of time, or prepare to throw in a cool costume for your little ones in time for the Halloween trick or treating. Do your kids love the outdoors? You and your kids can find some open space on the calendar and pick a date for a camping trip. With our easy-to-read calendar and colorful accessories, it's simple to remind your kids what fun activities are coming up in the coming days or weeks ahead. Because of the three month format, you can also look back and reminisce about how much fun you had during your Spring Break trip even while you're looking forward to the summer holiday. We might be biased, but we think calendaring together as a family is the sweetest thing!

My partner says I don’t communicate about our commitments. Can your calendar help with that?  

Let's be honest. Most of the time the mental load of family calendaring falls on moms. And even though we do our best to coordinate with family members, sometimes details get forgotten or lost in translation. With The Essential Calendar it's easy to keep everyone on the same page - literally. Getting everything written down not only gets it out of your brain and onto paper but it also invites regular discussion around upcoming activities and logistics.

My friend says this calendar changed her life.  How can a simple thing like a calendar help me and my family?

Often moms benefit from getting details out of their heads and onto paper. In addition to freeing up brain space and helping you see a high-level view of your family's next 3 months, The Essential Calendar invites conversation.

Your family will start start developing the pattern of checking the calendar for what's coming up in the days or weeks ahead and noticing when an event or activity needs to be adjusted. When you invest in The Essential Calendar you give yourself a dedicated space to intentionally plan your family life.

What families benefit from this?

The Essential Calendar is great for families of any size! Most of our customers are moms with at least one child at home but we find that anyone who wants to be intentional about the way they spend their time finds our calendar to be a great tool. The Essential Calendar is also loved by intentional dads, professionals, college students, grandmas and teachers.